In Memoriam: Maya Romanoff

When it comes to decorating, most people settle for wallpaper: Richard “Maya” Romanoff, who died on January 15 at 72, offered what can only be described as wall experiences. After getting his start in the late 1960s by making tie-dyed T-shirts to sell at a Rolling Stones concert, the American entrepreneur brought his talents to other materials by establishing the Maya Romanoff Corporation. Based in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, the award-winning firm specializes in handmade wall coverings with alchemical special effects—impregnated with shimmering mica or mother-of-pearl, spattered with fine glass beads, or inlaid with laser-cut marquetry.

The family-owned company’s range of wares also includes tiles and mirrors, as well as imaginative wall coverings by Swarovski, interior decorators Amy Lau and Roger Thomas, and architect David Rockwell. Many of these designs, as well as Romanoff’s trajectory from counterculture artisan (an Indian guru dubbed him Multifarious Maya) to patriarch of American style, are featured in the forthcoming book Multifarious: Maya Romanoff’s Grand Canvas (CityFiles Press). Whether opulent or funky, his work has one thing in common: “It’s got to be beautiful,” Romanoff often said. “That’s the only thing that counts.” mayaromanoff.com